Tuesday, August 09, 2011

Father Piotr Natanek, the Polish Savonarola

In the space of a few weeks, an obscure provincial priest, already established in his academic career as a lecturer at the prestigious John Paul II Pontifical University in Krakow (abruptly interrupted by his bishop last 26 May), has become enemy number one of the Polish Church. 

He is accused of trying to destroy the unity of the Church. Father Piotr Natanek, born in 1960, rector of the Niepokalanow Carthusian monastery in Grzechynia (in the southern part of the country near the Slovakian border) is physically robust and is a good-humored man, but he is showing himself to be the next Savonarola. 

He has been criticised by everyone, including the hierarchy. 

But the ferocity of his judgments would carry less weight if it weren’t for the internet. 

In the space of a few days, Father Natanek’s sermon against the incursions of Satan into the lives of young Poles, recorded on amateur video, was seen on the web by more than half a million people. 

And this, it seems, was too much for his bishop, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, former special secretary to John Paul II. 

After having the case examined by a theological commission, he decided to suspend the rebel priest a divinis for disobedience: Natanek had already received more than one admonition, and should have shown more self-control.
 
Father Stanislaw explained the situation in a letter dated 20 July, reminding Father Natanek, “known for his controversial homilies and messages posted on the web,” that he had not obeyed the disciplinary directives of 28 January 2010; had disregarded the canonic admonishments of 25 May 2007, 23 February 2009, and 9 April 2010; had ignored the invitation to a meeting with his superiors; has continued his damaging utterances - including those that were prohibited; spreads opinions not approved by the Church regarding the regality of Jesus Christ, based on private revelations and inspired by the eschatological seven, which is outside of the teachings of Church doctrine; he has also publicly put into doubt the authority of priests and, not least, invalidly celebrated a marriage, without the required mandate.

Cardinal Dziwisz told Father Natanek that his actions were causing damage to his faithful followers and to the entire Church community, which fully earns him the penalty set down in Canon 1371 in the Code of Canon Law, and also Canon 1393, for repeatedly defying orders. 

The only response Stanislaw received occurred four days later, when Natanek celebrated a public Mass in which he bluntly accused his bishop of being a Freemason. 

At the same time, a group of his followers wrote a letter to the Apostolic Nuncio to Poland, Monsignor Celestino Migliore, defending Natanek and stating that “the real threat to the Polish Church is not Father Piotr Natanek or others like him, but the Hierarchy itself.” 

The letter, which will also be sent to the Pope, was signed by 1400 people.

“With great regret we inform you about the continued attacks on Father Natanek by the Church hierarchy, including the Archbishop of Krakow,” his supporters wrote. 

“We faithful of the Catholic Church are not afraid of Father Piotr Natanek, as was suggested to us, but rather of the hierarchy, which introduces too much novelty and distances us from the Sacred Tradition.”

The rebel priest recently compared himself to Monsignor Marcel Lefebvre, who was excommunicated during the pontificate of John Paul II - a further signal of the distancing that he has reiterated to his faithful followers: “In the end you will have good and decent Masses.”
 
No one is spared by his invective, and his progression from controversial comments to insulting and denigrating dead prelates, is always a given. 

Speaking of Monsignor Józef Życiński - Archbishop of Lublin, a famous intellectual and supporter of Europe who died several months ago in Rome - Father Natanek “revealed” that “now the bishop is in hell, bound by the heaviest chain to Mohammed” and that “his cries can be heard in heaven.”

To the victims of the torrential rains and tornados that recently struck many parts of Poland, the priest who has been suspended a divinis, advised them to claim damages from the Curia of Krakow, implicitly accusing it of having provoked these disasters. 

His blatant actions increase day by day: he recently attacked a TVN 24 film crew, asking God to curse them. Father Piotr Natanek confidently declares to his followers: “I must force you to get to heaven, even if you try to stop me.” 

His power seems to be based on the fact that he never stops talking.